Our Story:  Our Current Journey

Our Dream Today!

Our support from the community continues to amaze us.  We’ve come a long way from the day we sat in the empty building after signing the lease – wondering how we’d fill the space.  I remember alternating between excitement and terror, but there was no time to wait.  We got to work and reached out to the animal rescue community to help us make our dream come true.

Second Life opened on January 8, 2011 to a crowd that showed their support by shopping.  Our store wasn’t very full yet, but we were hopeful.  Our inspiration, Lucky, was by our side.  He was our senior spotted angel, and as our first Chief Smile Officer (CSO), he welcomed everyone.   Lucky gave them a reason to come back and shop, to tell their friends, to donate and to volunteer.

main store overview - img2344 dec2016Our Stores

We now operate one 5,000 square foot store in downtown Avondale Estates (Atlanta area) and a Shopify online store.
Our brick and mortar store sells gently-used clothing, housewares, décor, electronics, books…and more!

When Covid19 pandemic hit, we started our Shopify online store, in  the building that used to house our Furniture, Decor and More (FDM) store. We have made the decision not to reopen the FDM store once things got back to normal.

Our Goal

Our goal has always been to offer our customers a unique and fun thrift store shopping experience where every purchase benefits homeless dogs and cats. Our store is bright, organized and fun!  All items are donated so every visit is a treasure hunt – you never know what kind of goodies you’ll find – and new items are added daily. At our stores, you will find everything from antiques to vintage to brand new items.

You’ll find our stores are geared to the bargain shopper and animal lovers- with fun animal motifs, rescue and shelter information posted throughout the store. We host pet adoptions and we collect pet supplies to help struggling families.  We are a part of the community…not just a thrift store.

Second Life Thrift Store benefits animal rescues in the entire metro Atlanta area, including Decatur, Stone Mountain, Marietta, as well as parts of Georgia.

An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language. ~Martin Buber